Kevin Cooks: Korean BBQ
I’ve never read the book “Crying in H-Mart” by Michelle Zauner; but recently, told by my partner in crime who did read the book, it made her really want to get some KBBQ. One of our earlier dates, when I was living in New York City, was at a KBBQ restaurant in the heart of Korea-town in Manhattan. I’ve always been known to be someone who overindulges; I love food - if you can’t tell. My girlfriend, although she also loves food, has never really shown an ability to eat the quantity I can. However, on this day in this NYC KBBQ restaurant, when my belly was in pain and I could no longer muster another bite, she rallied for the team and finished the entire meal. Since then, her ability to eat KBBQ has been unmatched. So after this book, when she craved KBBQ another time, I decided to make it myself.
I made two marinades - a spicy pork belly and a traditional kalbi beef short rib
Ingredients:
Spicy Pork Belly Marinade
Sliced Pork Belly
1 parts Gochujang
1 parts Gochugaru
1 parts Sesame Oil
1 parts soy sauce
1 parts honey
1 parts sugar
4-5 garlic gloves, minced
1 parts rice wine
Kalbi Beef
Beef Short Rib
1 parts soy sauce (about a 1/3 cup for 2lbs of short rib)
1 parts water (1/3 cup)
1 parts brown sugar (1/3 cup)
A little black pepper
1 Korean pear
4-5 Garlic cloves
1 onion
3 tbsp of chopped ginger
A little sesame oil
Directions
Creating the spicy pork belly marinade is easy. Make sure you combine all ingredients and have enough to cover all the pork belly. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours - up to 1 day.
Creating the kalbi marinade takes more effort. In a large blender, chop up the korean pear and onion so that it can be blended into a “slushie” like consistency. Blend in the ginger and garlic as well. In a separate container, add water with soysauce and the brown sugar. Then add the blended pear and onion into the container. Add the kalbi and let it sit in the fridge for 4-6 hours at least - up to 1 day.
Grill the meats.
